American Women — Activists

  • Pamela Allen / interviewed by Julius Lester

    Feminist activist Pamela Allen speaks with host Julius Lester about the difficulty in organizing various womens’ groups into a united front. She discusses how women are often hesitant to accept leadership roles in social movements because of male chauvinism, why some women won’t enter into all-women group dynamics, and the importance of transcending race and…

  • Ruth Gage-Colby interviewed by Dorothy Eletz

    Dorothy Eletz attended the U.N. International Women’s Year Conference in Mexico City [June 19-July 2, 1975], and this recording is an interview she conducted with Ruth Gage-Colby (1899-1984), a leader in the peace, disarmament, and human rights movements, at the conference on July 2. They discuss the International Women’s Conference and women’s rights.

  • Revolutionary violence / Dorothy Healey and Bob Wells

    Jim Berland interviews Communist Party activist Dorothy Healey and community organizer Bob Wells about radical politics, activism, violence, and the Weather Underground.

  • Emma Goldman: 1869-1940 / produced by Marcia Danab and Nina Mende

    Emma Goldman (1869-1940) committed her life to fighting economic and sexist exploitation and was known and still inspires as an anarchist, political agitator, feminist, birth control pioneer, and advocate of sexual freedom. This documentary features interviews with women who marched on picket lines with her, her friend and ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, newspaper articles of…

  • The oldest profession organizes / Margo St. James ; interviewed by Jan Legnitto.

    Margo St. James (born September 12, 1937), a self-described prostitute and sex-positive feminist, founded the organization COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), which advocates decriminalization of prostitution. In this recording she discusses her work with COYOTE with Jan Legnitto of KPFA. She discusses the one-sided laws concerning prostitution in the United States, whereby female…

  • An Evening with Angela Davis / moderated by Ossie Davis.

    On June 29, 1972, Angela Davis, along with a number of entertainers, appeared at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in a benefit for the Angela Davis Defense Fund. This program includes her speech on the need for Black activism and the advantages of socialism, as well as interviews with people attending the show, organizers…

  • Women’s liberation in Mexico / Marta Acevedo ; interviewed by Elizabeth Farnsworth.

    Elizabeth Farnsworth of the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) interviews Marta Acevedo, organizer of the first women’s action in Mexico on Mother’s Day in May 1971. Acevedo wrote one of the first articles on women’s liberation to appear in a Mexican periodical, Siempre. She talks about her decision to write the article, about…

  • Interview with Marjorie Melville / Danice Bordett and Nanette Rainone

    Danice Bordett and Nanette Rainone interview former nun and one of the Catsonville 9, Marjorie Melville, in WBAI’s studio on February 10, 1971. Melville and her husband wrote a book, “Whose Heavan, Whose Earth” (1971) which describes their experience with the Guatemalan revolutionaries. Mrs. Melville was recently released from jail (she and her husband were…

  • Angela Davis and Ralph Abernathy : a press conference.

    Ralph Abernathy and Angela Davis speak about an upcoming rally to be held in San Jose, CA on May 20, 1972. They also speak about the need for solidarity between anti-Vietnam groups in the fight. Originally a 2-part program, but part A is a duplicate of BC0763. BB5364B is now BB5364.

  • The California grape strike / reported by Nanette Rainone.

    Dolores Huerta, Vice President of the National Farm Workers AFL-CIO and Grape Boycott Coordinator, along with and activists Antonia Soledad, Venustiano Olguin, and Mark Silverman discuss the Grape Boycott. Interviewed by Nanette Rainone.